A First Book of

Quantum Field Theory

Second Edition

Amitabha Lahiri
Palash B. Pal

Alpha Science International Ltd.

Oxford, U.K.
Contents

Preface to the second edition

Preface to the first edition vii

Notations xi
1 Preliminaries 1
1.1 Why Quantum Field Theory 1
1.2 Creation and annihilation operators 3
1.3 Special relativity 5
1.4 Space and time in relativistic quantum theory 8
1.5 Natural units 9
2 Classical Field Theory 12
2.1 A quick review of particle mechanics 12
2.1.1 Action principle and Euler-Lagrange equations 12
2.1.2 Hamiltonian formalism and Poisson brackets 14
2.2 Euler-Lagrange equations in field theory 15
2.2.1 Action functional and Lagrangian 15
2.2.2 Euler-Lagrange equations 17
2.3 Hamiltonian formalism 19
2.4 Noether's theorem 21
3 Quantization of scalar fields 28
3.1 Equation of motion 28
3.2 The field and its canonical quantization 29
3.3 Fourier decomposition of the field 30
3.4 Ground state of the Hamiltonian and normal ordering 34
3.5 Fock space 36
3.6 Complex scalar field 37
3.6.1 Creation and annihilation operators 37
3.6.2 Particles and antiparticles 39
3.6.3 Ground state and Hamiltonian 40
3.7 Propagator 41
xiv Contents

4 Quantization of Dirac Fields 47

4.1 Dirac Hamiltonian 47
4.2 Dirac equation 51
4.3 Plane wave solutions of Dirac equation 54
4.3.1 Positive and negative energy spinors 54
4.3.2 Explicit solutions in Dirac-Pauli representation . . 56
4.4 Projection operators 59
4.4.1 Projection operators for positive and negative energy
states 59
4.4.2 Helicity projection operators 60
4.4.3 Chirality projection operators 61
4.4.4 Spin projection operators 62
4.5 Lagrangian for a Dirac field 63
4.6 Fourier decomposition of the field 65
4.7 Propagator 69
5 The S-matrix expansion 72
5.1 Examples of interactions 73
5.2 Evolution Operator 75
5.3 S-matrix 80
5.4 Wick's theorem 82
6 From Wick expansion to Feynman diagrams 87
6.1 Yukawa interaction : decay of a scalar 87
6.2 Normalized states 94
6.3 Sample calculation of a matrix element 97
6.4 Another example: fermion scattering 101
6.5 Feynman amplitude 105
6.6 Feynman rules 106
6.7 Virtual particles 110
6.8 Amplitudes which are not S-matrix elements 112
7 Cross sections and decay rates 115
7.1 Decay rate 115
7.2 Examples of decay rate calculation 117
7.2.1 Decay of a scalar into a fermion-antifermion pair 117
7.2.2 Muon decay with 4-fermion interaction 122
7.3 Scattering cross section 130
7.4 Generalities of 2-to-2 scattering 133
7.4.1 CM frame 135
7.4.2 Lab frame 137
7.5 Inelastic scattering with 4-fermion interaction 140
7.5.1 Cross-section in CM frame 142
7.5.2 Cross-section in Lab frame 143
7.6 Mandelstam variables 144
Contents XV

8 Quantization of the electromagnetic field 146

8.1 Classical theory of electromagnetic fields . . ...... 146
8.2 Problems with quantization 149
8.3 Modifying the classical Lagrangian 150
8.4 Propagator 153
8.5 Fourier decomposition of the field . 156
8.6 Physical states 158
8.7 Another look at the propagator 162
8.8 Feynman rules for photons 164
9 Quantum electrodynamics 166
9.1 Local gauge invariance 166
9.2 Interaction Hamiltonian 170
9.3 Lowest order processes 172
9.4 Electron-electron scattering 174
9.5 Electron-positron scattering 180
9.6 e e + 182
9.7 Consequence of gauge invariance 184
9.8 Compton scattering 185
9.9 Scattering by an external field 194
9.10 Bremsstrahlung 197
10 P, T, C and their combinations 200
10.1 Motivations from classical physics 200
10.2 Parity 201
10.2.1 Free scalar fields 201
10.2.2 Free Dirac field 202
10.2.3 Free photon field. 204
10.2.4 Interacting fields 205
10.3 Charge conjugation 207
10.3.1 Free fields 207
10.3.2 Interactions 211
10.4 Time reversal 212
10.4.1 Antilinearity 212
10.4.2 Free fields 213
10.4.3 Interactions 216
10.5 CP 217
10.6 CPT 218
11 Electromagnetic form factors 222
11.1 General electromagnetic vertex 222
11.2 Physical interpretation of form factors 224
11.2.1 Charge form factor F1 224
11.2.2 Anomalous magnetic moment F2 228
11.2.3 Electric dipole moment F2 228
xvi Contents

11.2.4 Anapole moment F3 229

11.3 Anomalous magnetic moment of the electron 230
11.4 Charge form factor 239
11.5 Electron-proton scattering 241
12 Renormalization 245
12.1 Degree of divergence of a diagram 245
12.1.1 Superficial degree of divergence 245
12.1.2 Superficial vs. real degree of divergence 248
12.2 Specific examples in QED 250
12.3 Outline of the program 252
12.4 Ward-Takahashi identity 253
12.5 General forms for divergent amplitudes 256
12.5.1 Fermion self-energy 256
12.5.2 Vacuum polarization 257
12.5.3 Vertex function- 259
12.6 Regularization of self-energy diagrams 260
12.6.1 Vacuum polarization diagram 260
12.6.2 Fermion self-energy diagram 265
12.7 Counterterms 267
12.7.1 Vacuum polarization diagram 267
12.7.2 Fermion self-energy diagram 270
12.7.3 Vertex function 272
12.8 Full Lagrangian 273
12.9 Observable effects of renormalization 275
12.9.1 Modification of Coulomb interaction 275
12.9.2 Running coupling constant 276
12.9.3 Cancellation of infra-red divergentes 279
13 Symmetries and symmetry breaking 283
13.1 Classification of symmetries 283
13.2 Groups and symmetries 284
13.2.1 Symmetry group 284
13.2.2 Examples of continuous symmetry groups 286
13.2.3 Generators of continuous groups 289
13.2.4 Representations 292
13.3 Approximate symmetries 293
13.4 Spontaneous breaking of symmetries 294
13.4.1 Discrete symmetry 295
13.4.2 U(1) symmetry 299
13.4.3 Non-Abelian symmetry 300
13.5 Goldstone's theorem 301
13.5.1 Appearance of inassless states 301
13.5.2 Examples of Nambu-Goldstone bosons 303
Contents xvii

13.5.3 Interaction of Goldstone bosons 305

13.6 Higgs mechanism 308
14 Yang-Mills theory of non-Abelian gauge fields 312
14.1 Gauge fields of non-Abelian symmetry 312
14.2 Pure gauge Lagrangian 315
14.3 Interactions of non-Abelian gauge fields 318
14.3.1 Gauge interactions of other particles 318
14.3.2 Self-interactions of gauge bosons 319
14.4 Equations of motion and conserved currents 321
14.5 Quantization of non-Abelian gauge fields 322
14.6 Quantum Chromodynamics 323
15 Standard electroweak theory 326
15.1 Gauge group 326
15.1.1 Choice of gauge group 326
15.1.2 Pure gauge Lagrangian 328
15.2 Spontaneous symmetry breaking 330
15.2.1 Introducing the Higgs boson multiplet 330
15.2.2 Gauge boson masses 332
15.2.3 Scalar modes 333
15.3 Fermions in the theory 335
15.3.1 Gauge interactions 335
15.3.2 Electron mass 338
15.3.3 Yukawa couplings 339
15.3.4 Other fermions in the model 340
15.4 Gauge boson decay 342
15.5 Scattering processes 346
15.5.1 Forward-backward asymmetry 346
15.5.2 Low energy weak interactions 349
15.5.3 High energy scattering 351
15.6 Propagator for unstable particles 355
15.7 Global symmetries of the model 356
A Useful formulas 358
A.1 Representation of ry-matrices 358
A.2 Traces of 7-matrices 360
A.3 The antisymmetric tensor 363
A.4 Useful integration formulas 364
A.4.1 Angular integrations in N-dimensional space 364
A.4.2 Momentum integration in loops 366
B Answers to selected exercises 368

Index 371